syphonfilterfandomcom-20200213-history
Raid on Niculescu's Estate
The Raid on Mihai Niculescu's Estate was a minor conflict of Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain in which Gabe Logan, motivated by an obsession with Niculescu, endeavoured to find evidence that linked the billionaire to Syphon Filter. Deciding to go as a lone wolf to implicate only himself after a botched unsanctioned storming of Meta Global Headquarters with IPCA operatives, Logan eventually found that Niculescu was going to have Mara Aramov killed since she tried to warn Moscow of Mihai's endgame. He used stealth and guile to take down multiple waves of patrols whom Niculescu hired, in order to stop Aramov's execution. Despite her antagonistic role, Gabe was told where Ivankov's base was located thanks to Mara, and decided to let her live in peace but then ultimately changed his mind and engineered her assassination by Gary Stoneman. Events Prelude Gabe: "For the first time, I didn't have any answers. I went into Niculescu's office complex expecting to find the answers to everything: his involvement with Meta Global Funds, Mara, Ivankov, Syphon Filter... but we found nothing. It hit me hard. What if I was wrong...? Or worst, what if I was right? That Niculescu was better than me, smarter, playing me, had been from the start... I was near the edge by then, obsessed, irrational. I'm sure I wasn't thinking clearly, but I knew one thing: I had jeopardised the Agency, and everyone's careers, by going into Zurich against orders. And I had failed. If I was going to get evidence on Niculescu, I was going to have to do it alone. I had to risk everything. Niculescu was too smart to keep records in Zurich. Maybe he wasn't as smart as he thought. He kept his most valuable paintings in his villa. Maybe he kept other things of value there as well." Driven to the edge because he had earlier defied Alex Birchim of the White House Internal Affairs, who had forbidden him or anybody else in the IPCA to investigate Mihai Niculescu in any way, Gabe was starting to doubt himself. He made up his mind that if he was going to infiltrate Niculescu's estate, he would do it alone, in order not to risk anybody else's careers if it turned out he was indeed wrong. Eavesdropping on the guards "Is he going to kill her?" "Who?" "The Russian witch, Aramov, who else? Idiot. I heard that Niculescu was going to have her killed." "How would I know? They're holding her in the master suite, that's all I heard." "Peh. I never hear anything." -Two of Niculescu's thugs discuss Mara's fate Infiltrating the compound, Gabe overhears a conversation where Niculescu is implied to have engineered Mara's death. He attempts to stop the assassin's execution, despite her heavily antagonistic role. Searching the hidden safe "Inside the safe was one of the more interesting things I found: Niculescu's files on Mara. I didn't get a change to read through them til later, but they explained a lot... or, at least as much as anything could explain Mara's behaviour." -Gabe speaks about files he finds on Mara. After entering the interior compound, Gabe finds that Niculescu hid a safe behind a painting. He shifts the latter and hacks the former, allowing him to access files on Mara. Acquiring the bedroom key "Once I had the key, I knew I had to open the door and move quickly. I could take 'em so long as they were surprised." -Gabe upon stealing the master suite key from the captain With the captain's appearance, Gabe trails him and kills him to get the bedroom key. He has to be fast in order to stop Mara's demise. Rescuing Mara "It seemed hard to believe Niculescu was in my grasp. I felt like Ahab about to plunge the harpoon into his demon whale. Niculescu was mine. Mara was going to give him to me. And nothing else mattered." -Gabe when he saves Mara Entering the bedroom, Logan comes upon a pair of thugs commissioned with killing Mara. He takes out the guy aiming for her and then the second. With both dead, he is determined to have Mara hand Niculescu to him. Aftermath "Well. This is a nice change. Instead of trying to kill me, you actually save my life." "Maybe I just wanted to make sure the job was done right." "How many times have you tried, Logan? Now's your chance. But then you'd never find Ivankov." "What makes you think I care?" "But of course you care! You're one of the good guys, aren't you? You're not going to let...oh, (laughs). Oh, it's Niculescu, isn't it? That's how you found this place. Of course. You've been to Zurich and found nothing." "Give me his files, Mara. All of 'em." "His files? (scoffs) What a fool you are. There are NO files. What, you think Mihai is some stupid dog-stool like Phagan? Or Hadden? You think you'd just crawl under the bed and find a box full of papers marked 'Meta Global Funds?" "Something like that." "He keeps it in his head. All of it. You will NEVER get Niculescu." "Goodbye, Mara." "Wait. Do with me what you will. I cannot help you with Niculescu. But Ivankov...That is something I can do." "I'm listening." "It was never about the virus, y'know? Ivankov, I mean. That was a tool. A distraction. Some easy cash. Your Agency. You're all so intelligent, aren't you? The virus. The Omega Strain. So much energy spent looking for tomorrow's weapon of mass destruction. You do not see that Ivankov wants yesterday's. I tried to tell him. Mihai, I mean. Mihai expected Ivankov to use the virus against Moscow. He would not listen to me. I tried to tell him that Ivankov sold the virus. Made a deal with the North Koreans. Traded the Omega Strain for a nuclear bomb." "That's what Ivankov's using to blackmail the Politbureau." "I tried to tell him. Poor Mihai. He has stockpiled thousands of doses of viral antigen. For the killing of Meta Global would've made. No matter that ten million of my countrymen would have to die in the process-" "Listen to me, Mara." "But he's not going to make much money for a smoldering crater is. Where's the profit from that? '' ''Snap out of it. Listen to me. I don't care about Niculescu anymore. You were right. I was obsessed with him. For a while. Uncovering Niculescu was all that mattered to me. I don't know why. But you've got to help me now. There's still time, Mara." '' ''"Ivankov..." "Help me, Mara. Tell me where he is." -Gabe and Mara converse With Mara now rescued, Gabe pleads with her for help in finding Ivankov. She agrees, leading to a skirmish between the IPCA and the Russian's forces, but Logan also decides to terminate her permanently, a task that was assigned to Gary Stoneman. Category:Conflicts of Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain